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Trivia:

The business with "Ernest's" bill at the Savoy and the money collectors coming to Jack's country home is taken from a scene cut from the play prior to its publication.See more »

Goofs:

Continuity: When Gwendolyn holds a match to light Cecily's cigarette, the cigarette is lit already. Also, Gwendolyn's match flame does not come close enough to the end of Cecily's cigarette to light it.See more »

Quotes:

Algy:Bunbury? He was quite *exploded*. Lady Bracknell:Exploded? Algy:[pretending sadness] Mm. Lady Bracknell:Was he the victim of some revolutionary outrage? I was not aware that Mr. Bunbury was interested in social legislation. Algy:My dear Aunt Augusta, I mean he was *found out*. The doctors found out that Bunbury could not live - that is what I mean - so Bunbury died. Lady Bracknell:He seems to have had great confidence in the opinion of his physicians.See more »

Wealthy London bachelor Jack Worthing falls for Gwendolen, cousin of London
socialite Algy, who has in turn fallen for Jack's ward, Cecily. Amongst
other barriers to both relationships is the determination of both ladies to
marry men called Ernest, leading Algy and Jack to pretend that Ernest is,
indeed, their given name. Another stumbling block is the ubiquitous Lady
Bracknell, Algy's aunt and Gwendolen's mother, who refuses to accept Jack as
a suitor for her daughter because he was a foundling, discovered as a baby
in a handbag at Victoria Station. Playwright Oscar Wilde put into Lady
Bracknell's mouth some of the most delicious comments in stage history: "To
be born, or at any rate bred, in a handbag, whether it had handles or not,
seems to me to display a contempt for the ordinary decencies of family life
that reminds one of the worst excesses of the French Revolution".

The story follows the ups and downs and deceits of the two men whilst they
pursue Gwendolen and Cecily, dogged by Algy's creditors and Lady Bracknell,
whose opposition to Jack's origins proves insurmountable. On the way we
learn of Jack's brother who does not exist yet manages to die in a Paris
boarding house, and Algy's invalid friend Bunbury who also never drew breath
yet nevertheless explodes on the advice of his physician. The situation
remains unresolved until the final scene, when all the protagonists have
collided at Jack's country estate.

This interpretation of Oscar Wilde's play may not suit purists. Oliver
Parker takes a few liberties with the original, adding a couple of
off-the-wall touches such as Gwendolen having "Ernest" tattooed on her rear
end. None of this detracts from the film precisely because this is a film
and not a filmed play and as a stand-alone movie this is highly enjoyable
fare and remains graced by Wilde's eternal and inimitable
wit.

The cast, too, is outstanding. Reese Witherspoon as Cecily mastered an
English accent and, along with Colin Firth as Jack, Frances O'Connor as
Gwendolen and Judi Dench as Lady Bracknell (Aunt Augusta), is first-rate;
the film also boasts Edward Fox, Tom Wilkinson and Anna Massey in supporting
roles. Lastly, no-one plays Wilde's nihilistic, aristocratic and insouciant
wasters quite like Rupert Everett, who was designed for such
parts.

Oscar Wilde's play is timeless and priceless and his wit dominates the
proceedings; matched to a cast with the acting talent of this troupe, it
does not fail. Wilde and English period drawing room comedies are an
acquired taste and, for those unsure of their nature, can be distinguished
by the conspicuous absence of gunfire, vulgar Anglo-Saxonisms, explosions,
wizards, references to def-con 2, giants, breasts, giant breasts and Steven
Seagal: if any of these is your cup of tea, look elsewhere. If, on the other
hand, you want to watch a team of gifted actors delivering with great aplomb
some of the smartest dialogue in English literary history, The Importance of
Being Earnest is not a bad way to spend an hour or two.

"Is Miss Cardew at all connected with any of the larger railway stations in
London? I only ask because until yesterday I had no idea that there were any
families or persons whose origin was a terminus."

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